Evenings in Trees
by Tonkswyrda
Summary: Remus and Tonks spend an summer evening climbing a tree-is Tonks going to manage without killing herself? Remus doesnt think so. written for midsummer tales at metamorphic moon on Lj.


Summer was her favourite time of year.

Tonks sat in the Weasleys back yard under a big oak tree, quill between her teeth as she read over her report for Rufus Scrimegour. Yes, it sounded about right. Utterly professional, yet full of crap. Just how the ministry liked it these days.

It was getting late; she'd already had tea, but she couldn't resist coming outside again. The evening sun bathed everything in a fiery orange light, and she was thinking of making it a new hair colour. Taking the quill out of her mouth, she scrunched up her eyes, concentrating on the colour around her.

"Very nice."

She opened her eyes, only to see Remus Lupin strolling towards her, squinting in the sunlight. "It suits you."

"Thanks," she replied, grinning at him.

"I like that dress on you too. Nice, for a change." He mumbled. She blushed at that. Truly, she hardly ever wore dresses, but this little white one had been too hard to resist. She'd tied a thick purple ribbon around her waist which had, until recently, matched her hair.

"Oh, well…" she fiddled with the edge of the ribbon. "Thanks."

"No problem."

They were quiet for a moment, until Tonks dumped her bag back on the ground.

"Aren't you going to come back in?" Remus asked, confused.

"Nope. It's to serious inside at the moment. Snape's arrival put a damper on the situation as well." She grinned.

"He's not that bad, Nymphadora."

She flinched. "He is. He hates me. Besides, it's nicer out here anyway." She put a hand on one of the trees lower branches, gazing up. "What are you doing out here then?"

"It's getting a bit… heated. They're all arguing about Umbridge teaching this year."

"Thought you'd be in the thick of that one. What with her half breed bills and crap." She said offhandedly, kicking off her old scuffed chucks.

"Well, it gets a bit tiring after a while." Remus leaned against the trees thick trunk, gazing out over the hills.

"Fair enough. I can see why." She swung a leg over the branch and pulled herself onto it. Remus' reluctance to talk to her about his lycanthropy amused her almost as much as it annoyed her. She wasn't a child, after all.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, exasperated.

"Climbing. Don't sound so frustrated, I can climb a tree."

"Yeah, well, you'd think you could walk up stairs, but no…"

"Hey, that was one time!" Remus raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe more like five, but still! It's the stairs, honestly, they hate me!" Tonks said defensively.

"What if the tree hates you too?"

"Well, you're welcome to come with me if you like, if you think ill fall and kill myself." Tonks smiled sweetly, standing on the branch and pulling herself onto the next one.

"The chances of that seem pretty high." Remus told her. She shrugged, choosing instead to hang upside down and wave to him.

"Crap Tonks, put your other hand on, please! I'm going to have to come up…" Tonks giggled as Remus kicked off his brown shoes and pulled off his socks, and pulled himself into the tree. "Two hands, Dora." She rolled her eyes, pulling herself the right way up. "I swear, you're going to give me a heart attack some day soon…"

"Alright, alright, don't get your wand in a knot!" sniggering, she climbed higher, watching Remus as he caught up with her. "You're pretty good at this whole climbing thing."

Remus shrugged, jumping up to her branch. "We used to climb trees all the time in the holidays. James had some pretty huge ones in his backyard."

"That's cool. Only trees I ever climbed were the ones that gave a perfect view into the boy's dorms." She smirked as Remus' eyebrows knitted together.

"I don't think I needed to know that."

"Really? It was an essential part of Hufflepuff education. We're not as innocent as you think, you know."

"I'm suddenly very, very glad there were no tree's tall enough by Gryffindor tower." Remus muttered.

"There were when I was there." Tonks laughed, swinging herself higher, brushing leaves out of her face.

"Fantastic. I can just see you as a squealing fan girl of some Quidditch captain, sitting in a tree with binoculars."

Tonks hit his arm. "I did not squeal, thank you!"

"I'm sure." Remus grinned, watching her blush.

"Anyway," Tonks hastily changed the subject- "Did you know The Weird Sisters are doing a summer tour, and they're- argh!"

Remus let go of the tree, catching Tonks' arms as she slipped, and pulling her close.

"I swear Nymphadora, you're going to be the death of me. I told you you'd kill yourself! Can't you be careful?"

"No."

Remus groaned.

"Look Remus, I'm sorry, and please don't say that sort of thing… that'd be horrible."

"It would be." He muttered, looking down at his hands, holding her elbows. "Err… maybe we should head back down now."

"But we'll get a wicked view of the sunset here! Come on Remus, I promise not to slip again!"

He rolled his eyes at her begging expression. "Fine. But… um… maybe we should move."

Tonks shook her head. "No, I'm quite comfortable here." She moved closer, smiling, leaning her head against his chest, pushing him slightly backwards into the tree trunk. Flicking her wand, she brushed the leaves aside, and they were bathed in fantastic shades of pink and orange.

"See? Perfect. Well, almost."

"Only almost?" Remus asked, absentmindedly moving a hand to stroke her hair. Tonks swivelled slightly in his arms.

"There's something missing."

"Really?" he asked apprehensively, as Tonks moved a fraction closer.

"Yeah…" Their noses were almost touching… Remus could feel her breath on his face, and see all the different shades of purple in her darkening eyes, as she blocked the sunlight…

Her lips tentatively met his.

As unfamiliar as her lips moving with his were, he knew what had been missing; a connection. His hands slipped to the small of her back as hers rested on his shoulders… he'd never felt connected to anything like this before. This was entirely new. This was different. But he couldn't help but kiss back.

The light in their leafy hollow darkened, and they missed the sunset.


End file.
